Cooking Lebanese with Sophia Lindop at Château de La Creuzette

Limited places available

Spring has just changed to Summer and the days are getting longer and the weather warmer. The French countryside awakes with the most delicious fresh produce and the La Creuzette garden is at its full glory. You will enjoy a wonderful Lebanese food journey with Sophia Lindop. We will enjoy hands-on cooking sessions with Sophia in the La Creuzette kitchen, do wine-pairing with exceptional French wines, and visit our local fresh produce market. A wonderful garden visit, amongst other breathtaking excursions, is also on the program. Come and enjoy ‘la belle vie’ with us at the dreamy château de La Creuzette!

Cost breakdown

La Creuzette special interest programmes are carefully compiled to ensure that you have the ultimate, hassle-free luxury holiday experience. Our all-inclusive land arrangement means that everything aside from flights, train tickets, Schengen visas and personal expenses are taken care of as follows:

• €3350 per person sharing
• Collection from Châteauroux train station on the 1st June and transfer to La Creuzette
• Luxurious accommodation at La Creuzette for the 5 nights / 6 days
• Full board accommodation (i.e. all meals with drinks, also at restaurants we visit)
• All excursions including entrance fees and gratuities
• All cooking demonstrations with Sophia Lindop
• Wine pairings with all the meals
• Transfer back to Châteauroux train station at the end of the week at La Creuzette

A deposit of €1000 secures your booking with the balance due on or before your arrival at La Creuzette. A single supplement of €650 applies for single occupation.

Itinerary

Day 1 (Sunday, 1 June)

Collection from Châteauroux train station where the group will arrive between 12:00 and 13:00, and road transfer to Château La Creuzette, your holiday residence in Boussac village. We stop for a delicious lunch at the famous l'Escale Village. From here we have an hour’s drive to La Creuzette. You arrive at your holiday destination in time for tea, coffee and macarons. Take some time to settle in, relax and explore the grounds. We meet at 19h30 for a glass of champagne in the chateau’s lounge, followed by our welcome dinner in the formal dining room.

Day 2 (Monday, 2 June)

Breakfast will be served at 9am in the main dining room. After breakfast, we meet Sophia in the summer kitchen. We enjoy a morning of cooking together and exploring several Lebanese recipes and cooking methods. After a morning of creative cuisine we sit down for an alfresco lunch under the age-old oak trees. A delicious rosé from Provence will be paired perfectly to the lunch menu. After lunch, we have a moment’s repose to enjoy relaxing time. Late afternoon, we return to the kitchen to continue our cooking session in preparation for dinner. Dinner will be enjoyed in the summerhouse dining room around a beautifully set table.

Day 3 (Tuesday, 3 June)

After breakfast, we drive to nearby Montlucon. We stroll through the medieval part of the charming village where we will have time to shop at some of the small boutiques and antique shops. We visit our wine merchant at his newly renovated tasting room for a special wine tasting and a traditional French lunch. After lunch, there will be an opportunity to buy some special wine and perhaps a good whisky with the help of a connoisseur. We stop at one of the restaurant wholesalers where you can buy some special ingredients you wish to take home with you. We head back to La Creuzette, where we meet Sophia in the summer kitchen for a hands-on cooking session. Dinner follows in the summerhouse dining room.

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After breakfast, we explore the picturesque village of Aubusson where French tapestries and carpets have been woven and restored for centuries. We visit the Manufacture Four where you will learn all about the history of tapestry making, as well as see the weaving process. They are currently weaving a tapestry based on the life of George Sand, which will be the longest tapestry woven in continuation. Lunch will be enjoyed at one of the restaurants on the banks of the river Creuse, and after lunch, we visit the newly renovated Cité de la Tapisserie with superb collections of ancient and contemporary tapestries. We have some time to stroll through the village before heading home. Back at La Creuzette, we meet Sophia in the summer kitchen for a hands-on cooking session. Dinner follows in the summerhouse dining room.

*The day’s excursion will be finalized once the group has been finalized

Day 4 (Wednesday, 4 June)

After breakfast, we meet in the summer kitchen for an exciting Lebanese cooking session with Sophia. You will learn several delicious recipes where the focus will be on the many different Lebanese flavours. Lunch will be enjoyed in the garden with the perfectly paired wine to compliment the flavours. After lunch, we take a short drive to the Priory garden at Notre Dame d’Orsan. This magnificent property was the inspiration for the garden design at Babylonstoren in South Africa and now also The Newt in Somerset, UK. This establishment was founded in the 12th century and was a place of pilgrimage. The garden structures are still designed in a very calming and meditating layout. We spend the afternoon in this magical creation of pure delight. There will also be some time to time to shop in their beautiful garden boutique, where they have the most beautiful garden accessories and gifts. We return to La Creuzette, and this evening we meet for champagne in the chateau’s dining room, followed by a special dining experience in the La Creuzette cellar.

Day 5 (Thursday, 5 June)

Today is the weekly market day in Boussac. After breakfast, we meander through the colourful market stalls, which are laden with fresh fruit and vegetables, and other artisanal products from the region. Along with Sophia, we explore the fresh produce on offer and you will also have enough time to wander through the different market stands as well as the small boutiques in the village. We meet back at La Creuzette for a delicious harvest table lunch which will be enjoyed at the long stone table in front of the La Creuzette summer kitchen. After a lazy lunch, you have the afternoon at liberty to enjoy the chateau, walk in the garden, explore the village, etc. This evening, our Farewell dinner prepared by Sophia, follows in the dining room of the summerhouse.

Day 6 (Friday, 6 June)

This morning there will be an optional morning walk for whoever wishes to join. We enjoy a delicious breakfast, before we depart for Châteauroux from where your train back to Paris departs.

Please note that this itinerary may be amended to accommodate suppliers, service providers and the weather.

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